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Shillong, Sep 25 (IANS) Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said all people living in India are Hindus in terms of identity.

Elaborating the RSS' philosophy, Bhagwat said that Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life.

Addressing a gathering in Shillong, the RSS chief said all are Hindus as all Indians are the inhabitants of Hindustan, which, he said is in the south of the Himalayas, north of Indian Ocean, on the bank of the Indus river.

"The habitants of this area are traditionally called Hindus. This is also called Bharat," said Bhagwat, who arrived here on Saturday on a two-day visit.

He said that even before the Mughals who have spread Islam and the British rulers who spread Christianity, Hindus were already in existence.

Highlighting the ideology of RSS, Bhagwat said the term 'Hindu' covers all those who are the sons of 'Bharat Mata', descendants of Indian ancestors and who live in accordance with Indian culture.

Ruling out the fear of religious conversion, the RSS supremo said to become Hindu one does not have to change since everyone here is Hindu.

"India is not a country with a western concept. It has been a cultural country since time immemorial; in fact, it is such a country, which has taught the world the lesson of humanity."

Since Saturday, he has attended a series of events, including the meeting of RSS functionaries and workers across the hill state.

Several BJP leaders, members of Hindu organisations attended the events organised by the Meghalaya unit of RSS.

Bhagwat's visit to Meghalaya -- a Christian majority state, assumes significance as Assembly elections are scheduled to be held there in February next year.

Elaborate security arrangements were made in the state in view of the visit of Bhagwat, who has a 'Z Plus' security cover.

--IANS
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By B Shrikant
Hyderabad, Sep 25 (IANS) Virat Kohli (63) and Suryakumar Yadav (69) struck brilliant half-centuries and figured in a century partnership as India defeated Australia by six wickets with one ball to spare in the 3rd T20I at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here on Sunday to clinch the three-match series 2-1.



Kohli anchored the innings after India lost openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma with only 30 runs on the card and figured in two vital partnerships -- a 104 runs stand with Yadav and 48 runs for the fourth with Hardik Pandya (25 not out) as India capitalised on some good work by their bowlers to restrict Australia to 186/7 and then successfully chased the runs to win the match.

Austalia had got off to a blazing start thanks to youngster Cameron Green (52) but were pegged back by the Indian bowlers, who came back strongly in the middle overs, before ending the innings in whirlwind fashion thanks to Tim David (54) to raise 186/7. But thanks to the brilliant efforts by Kohli and Yadav helped India reach 187/4 in 19.5 overs to win the match.

This was Kohli's second century partnership at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium after figuring in a 102-run stand with K.L Rahul against West Indies in 2019.

While hitting a brilliant 69, Suryakumar Yadav became the highest scorer in T20 this year as he reached 682 runs in 20 innings to overtake D.S Airee of Nepal who has 626 runs from 17 innings.

Brief scores: Australia 186/7 in 20 overs (Cameron Green 52, Tim David 54, Daniel Sams 28 not out Josh Inglis 24; Axar Patel 3/33) lost to India 187/4 in 19.5 overs (Virat Kohli 63, Suryakumar Yadav 69, Hardik Pandya 25 not out; Daniel Sams 2/33) by six wickets.


--IANS
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Seoul, Sep 25 (IANS) North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said, two days after a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier arrived here for allied drills.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from an area in or around Taechon, North Pyongan Province, at 6:53 a.m., and that it flew some 600 kilometers at an apogee of around 60 km at a top speed of Mach 5.

The intelligence authorities of the South and the United States are conducting a detailed analysis for other details, Yonhap news agency reported quoting the JCS.

The launch came as US Vice President Kamala Harris plans to visit Seoul later this week and the allies are set to hold a joint maritime exercise in the East Sea, involving the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group.

Soon after the launch, JCS Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum and Gen. Paul LaCamera, the commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, had discussions on security coordination.

"They reaffirmed that through the planned South Korea-US maritime exercise and other efforts, they would further solidify a combined defense posture against any North Korean threats and provocations," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.

It strongly urged the North to immediately stop all ballistic missile tests, saying such a launch is an act of "significant provocation that undermines peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as in the international community," and a "clear" breach of UN Security Council resolutions.

"While monitoring and tracking North Korean movements to prepare against any additional provocation in close cooperation with the US, our military will maintain a firm readiness posture based on the capability to respond overwhelmingly to any North Korean provocation," the JCS said.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stressed Washington's security commitment to South Korea and Japan.

"While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to our allies, the missile launch highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRK's unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs," the command said in a press release. DPRK stands for the North's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The launch followed reports that Pyongyang seems to be preparing to fire a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

It marked the North's fifth missile launch since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office in May.

Pyongyang last fired eight short-range ballistic missiles in June.

Harris plans to visit Seoul on Thursday after attending the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo -- a trip that the White House said is designed to highlight the "strength" of America's alliances with both nations.

It marks her first formal visits to the Asian allies since taking office last year.

The USS Ronald Reagan, a centerpiece of the US' naval might, arrived in the southeastern port city of Busan on Friday to stage its first combined drills with the South Korean Navy in five years.

--IANS
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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 25 (IANS) Rahul Gandhi, who is in the midst of the Bharat Jodo Yatra on Sunday condoled the passing away of senior Congress leader, Aryadan Mohammed.

Rahul while speaking to the media persons at Thrissur during the yatra said, "Aryadan Mohammed was a Congress leader who has come to the top Congress leadership from the grassroots. He was a kind-hearted person and was a major presence for the Congress party in the Kerala legislative Assembly. He was personally close to me and my deep condolences on the passing away of the senior leader."

Rahul Gandhi, however, said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra would continue with grief over the passing away of Aryadan Mohammed as many people were involved in the yatra as well as logistics were involved.

Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala, A.K. Antony while speaking to the media persons at his Thiruvananthapuram residence said, "His passing away is a very personal loss. We were closely working together in the Congress party for the past several decades. He was a towering leader of the Congress party who has come his way up as a grass root leader. An able administrator and a people's leader, Aryadan Mohammed will always be remembered."

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the passing away of Aryadan Mohammed. Pinarayi said that Aryadan will always be remembered as a leader who stood for the secular credentials of the country.

Aryadan Mohammed (87), a senior Congress leader and three-time minister from Kerala, passed away at Kozhikode after a brief illness. Aryadan was considered as the 'Chanakya' of Kerala's Congress politics.

He was a minister in the A.K. Antony cabinet and the Oomen Chandy government.

Aryadan was a tourism and labour minister in the Antony government and was Electricity minister in the Oomen Chandy government. He was also a member of the CPI-M leader E.K. Nayanar-led LDF government in 1980 when the Congress party of Kerala split and the faction owing allegiance to A.K. Antony joined the Left government. However, the government fell in 1982.

While his academic qualification was only a matriculation pass, Aryadan Mohammed was a voracious reader and used to quote profusely from all the international and national publications. In the debates in the Kerala Assembly, Aryadan Mohammed was always the firefighter for the Congress party.

An eight-term MLA from Nilambur Assembly constituency since 1970, he was a member of the Kerala legislative Assembly till 2016 on the Congress ticket.

Even during his last days, he was busy scheming political strategies for the Congress party. Aryadan Mohammed had a black mark when he was accused and jailed in the murder of CPI-M leader from Nilambur, Kunhali. He was arrested and jailed in 1969, but later he was acquitted.

Aryadan Mohammed is always remembered as a Congress leader who never budged to the one upmanship of the Congress ally Indian Muslim League in its fort of Malappuram district. The senior Congress leader has always had a warm relationship with political leaders cutting across party lines.

A staunch nationalist and a Congress leader, Aryadan always believed that Congress was the party of India that caters to all sections of the population.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President (KPCC), K. Sudhakaran said that Aryadan Mohammed's death was a major loss for the Congress party. The KPCC president said that while Aryadan was suffering from illness, the death was unexpected.

Indian Muslim League leader and MLA, KPA Majeed while speaking to media persons in remembering Aryadan Mohammed said, "Aryadan was basically opposed to the Muslim League's politics, but he was always in the forefront in Malappuram district for the United Democratic Front alliance. He was the flag-bearer of the UDF in Nilambur which was a CPI-M bastion for years and he had wrested that constituency from them. Myself and the Indian Union Muslim League deeply condole the passing away of the senior leader."

--IANS
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Washington, Sep 25 (IANS) The US space agency has called off its Artemis I launch scheduled for September 27, owing to Tropical Storm Ian threat, and was preparing for rollback while continuing to watch the weather forecast.

NASA said that during a meeting late on Saturday, "teams decided to stand down on preparing for the Tuesday launch date to allow them to configure systems for rolling back the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to the Vehicle Assembly Building".

Engineers deferred a final decision about the roll back of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), to allow for additional data gathering and analysis.

"If Artemis I managers elect to roll back, it would begin late Sunday night or early Monday morning," the US space agency said.

The space agency said it is taking a step-wise approach to its decision making process to allow it to protect its employees by completing a safe roll in time for them to address the needs of their families, while also protecting the option to press ahead with another launch opportunity in the current window if weather predictions improve.

NASA relies on the information provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Space Force, and the National Hurricane Center.

On September 3, NASA attempted to launch Artemis I but called it off after detecting a liquid hydrogen leak.

The US space agency on August 30 scrubbed the mission launch for the first time owing to technical glitch with one of the SLS rocket's engines.

Artemis I is NASA's uncrewed flight test which will provide a foundation for human exploration in deep space and demonstrate NASA's commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.

--IANS
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Hubballi (Karnataka), Sep 25 (IANS) An FIR has been filed against 11 people in connection with forcefully converting a Hindu youth to Islam in Hubballi city, police said on Sunday.

According to police, 26-year-old Sridhara Gangadhara, a resident of Yadavanahalli in Maddur taluk of Mandya district was forcefully converted. He has been named as Mohammad Salman.

Police said that Sridhara is a private company employee and was going through a financial crisis. He had shared it with one Attaur Rahman who took him to a mosque in May in Bengaluru.

Sridhara was locked up in the mosque and 'Khatna' was performed forcefully and was forced to eat cow meat. They also took his signatures on empty papers regarding the religious conversion.

After 'Khatna (circumcision)' was performed, Sridhara was taken to Tirupathy, Puttur, Bhuvanagar mosques of Andhra Pradesh and given him training of Islam.

They threatened him to convert at least three persons every year to Islam. He was given a pistol and photos were taken. The accused threatened him that he would be projected as a terrorist if he failed to listen to them, police said.

They transferred Rs 35,000 in his account and asked him to follow their orders. The incident came to light when he went to the police station after being assaulted by a gang of unknown persons in Bhairidevarkoppa in Hubballi recently. He had come here as his Facebook female friend called him over to meet, police said. Further investigation is on.

--IANS
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By Saiyed Moziz Imam Zaidi
New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) The coming week Congress leaders will be filing nomination papers for the presidential poll. It now seems that apart from Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari will throw his hat into the ring and some others may also join the fray.


While the Gandhis are likely to be neutral in the elections, party interim president Sonia Gandhi has asserted that the polls will be fair and she will not endorse any candidate.

Sources said that the issue of Rajasthan in the event of Gehlot joining national politics was also discussed, but there is no official word on it yet.

This will be the first election since 1998 that a non-Gandhi will be elected as party president. After Sonia Gandhi got elected for the first time defeating Jitendra Prasada, since then she was elected unopposed and in 2017, Rahul Gandhi was elected unopposed.

Gehlot said that Rahul Gandhi has refused to contest the party president's election and wants a non-Gandhi to be the party president. Gehlot said, "I will be filing nomination soon and it's the need of the hour that the opposition should be strong."

Gehlot will have to relinquish the post of Chief Minister if he gets elected as Rahul Gandhi has hinted that the Congress will adhere to the 'one man one post' formula as per the Udaipur declaration.

When asked he said "I think we have made a commitment in Udaipur and I hope that it will be maintained."

The Congress had reiterated that anyone can contest the party president's poll as it was a democratic and transparent process and no nod was required from the leadership.

Jairam Ramesh, party general secretary said, "It's important to reiterate that any member is welcome to contest for Congress president. This is a democratic and transparent process. Nobody needs anybody's nod to contest, especially that of the party leadership."

Jairam has also asked the spokespersons not to comment on any candidate as their duty is to highlight that the Congress is the only party which is conducting an election.

The direction comes a day after party spokesperson Gourav Vallabh openly supported the candidature of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

"We all have our individual preferences but our job is to highlight ONLY the following," he said in a message to AICC spokespersons, media panellists, office-bearers of the communications department.

He said that the Congress is the only political party to have a democratic and transparent system in place for election to the post of its president and this should be highlighted.

The Congress is the only political party in India to have an independent Election Authority to conduct organisational elections. A person wanting to contest needs no nod from anybody to do so except from 10 PCC delegates for filing the nomination form, he added.

The Congress' central election authority had issued a notification for the AICC president polls on September 22.

According to the notification, while the nomination forms will be available from Thursday, the filing of nominations will take place between September 24 and 30.

Scrutiny of the nominations will take place on October 1, and the same day, a valid candidate list will be published. The last date of withdrawal is October 8 following which, a final list will be brought out. While the poll will be held on October 17, counting will take place on October 19.

--IANS
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Patna, Sep 24 (IANS) At a time when the leaders of the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar are training their guns at Union Home Minister Amit Shah following his visit to Seemanchal on Friday, Nikhil Anand, state BJP spokesperson and national general secretary of the party's OBC wing, lauded Shah for playing an instrumental role in removing Articles 370 and 35A from Jammu and Kashmir.

"After Amit Shah's visit to Seemanchal, many of grand alliance leaders are having headache and stomach ache. After seeing the way scores of people turned out for his rally in Purnea, the leaders of the Mahagathbandhan are feeling uneasy due to the popularity of Amit Shah," Anand said.

Reacting to the statement of RJD's Lalan Singh, who had said that when he was involved in the JP movement in 1974, Amit Shah was just 10 years old, Anand said: "Amit Shah is the young generation leader of the country and his fame is acknowledged across the world ever since he removed Articles 370 and 35A from Jammu and Kashmir, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of J&K.

"Similarly, during the JP movement, some small stature leaders were following the big leaders and entertaining them. At present, some of the self-declared 'Chutbhaiye Netas' (small time leaders) are claiming to be JP commanders."

"It is unfortunate that the real heroes of the JP movement are deprived of JP pension scheme and the self-declared fake leaders of the movement are enjoying power being part of the government. The soul of Jay Prakash Narayan must be in deep pain after seeing the selfishness of the leaders of the ruling government," Anand said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) The investigation that followed the major crackdown on the Popular Front of India by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has revealed that a number of dummy organisations were floated by the radical outfit to fool the agencies and to evade arrest.

Sources claimed that PFI members knew that the government will take action against them due to their suspicious activities and hence they created a number of dummy organisations to mislead the intelligence agencies.

"The Campus Front of India, Rehab India Foundation, National Women's Front, All India Legal Council, SDPI -- these are all dummy organisations created by the PFI," the sources said.

The sources also claimed that the PFI members were allegedly trying to carry out attacks on BJP and RSS leaders.

Both the ED and the NIA have claimed that PFI was collecting funds from abroad, which were to be used to impart terror training and carry out anti-national activities.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that members of Popular Front of India (PFI) had allegedly collected a large amount of cash to the tune of Rs 120 crore to carry out attacks on important personalities.

ED sources claimed that Prime Minister Narender Modi was also on the radar of PFI, which had planned to attack the Prime Minister during a rally in July 2020. However, due to some reason, PFI didn't go ahead with the plan.

The sources claimed that the PFI members had even planned to organise a terror camp to execute an attack on Modi.

The sources said that around Rs 120 crore were collected by the PFI to carry out attacks and create unrest and riot-like situation in the country.

The ED had arrested a PFI member named Shafeequr Payeth from Kerala, who was produced before a special court in Lucknow on Friday. The remand paper of the ED, which has been accessed by IANS, said that the PFI was planning to carry out attacks on important personalities.

"In the past few years, PFI collected around Rs 120 crore, including cash coming from abroad. The cash was deposited in different bank accounts belonging to PFI," the remand paper read.

It added that some part of the money was allegedly used in North-East Delhi riots in 2020. The money was also about to be used to purchase arms and ammunition to create unrest and carry out terror acts in Uttar Pradesh.

The sources also said that PFI has scores of active members in the Gulf countries.

--IANS
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